Transcript Highlights:

• A weight-based tax avoids these distortions. A weight-based tax avoids these distortions.
• “We're looking at raising taxes on a certain number of products, lowering taxes on a certain number of
• tax.
• Did it, raising the tax on the lesser product?
• This will be a tax increase for some. This will be a tax increase for consumers in Oklahoma.”

Bills: HB4322 , HB4202 , HB4203 , HB4457 , HB3983 , HB3660 , HB3802 , HB2933 , HB2955 , HB2956 , HB3781 , HB3521 , HB3794 , HB3796 , HB3800

Committee: Senate Business and Insurance

Summary: The Business and Insurance Committee first handled a series of executive nominations, including appointments or reappointments to the Oklahoma Securities Commission, Real Estate Commission, State Athletic Commission, Accountancy Board, Commission on Consumer Credit, Uniform Building Code Commission, Abstractors Board, Used Motor Vehicle Dismantler and Manufactured Housing Commission, and State Banking Board. Most nominees briefly addressed the committee, and the nominations were advanced by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. One HB 4488 was laid over at the start of the meeting. The committee then considered several bills. HB 4322, which would remove a dual-licensure requirement for funeral directors and embalmers, drew questions about consumer protection and body care procedures and passed 6-3. HB 4202, changing workers’ compensation fee schedule treatment for radiology, passed unanimously. HB 4203, directing the Uniform Building Code Commission to explore guidelines for single-exit configurations in certain buildings up to four stories, passed 7-2 after concerns were raised about fire safety. HB 4457, dealing with specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, and access to specialty medications, passed unanimously. Members also debated HB 3983, which would move Oklahoma’s moist smokeless tobacco tax to a weight-based system; supporters argued it would improve fairness and revenue stability, while opponents said it would raise taxes on some products and lacked consumer protections. It passed 6-3. HB 3660, authorizing natural organic reduction as an additional end-of-life option, prompted a lengthy debate over dignity, religious concerns, and consumer choice; it passed 5-4. HB 3802, prohibiting auto insurers from raising premiums solely because a spouse died, passed unanimously. HB 2933, a consumer protection insurance bill, passed 9-0 after extensive discussion of claims handling and insurer accountability. Additional insurance and regulatory measures—HB 2955, HB 2956, HB 3781, HB 3521, HB 3796, HB 3794, and HB 3800—were also advanced, most with little or no opposition. The chair closed by noting all executive nominations and legislation had been cleared from the committee for the year.

Transcript Highlights:

• A cemetery district is a special purpose district that can levy property tax and assess burial fees.
• Districts may impose up to three regular property tax levies.
• will go higher, but we're also going to reduce, you know, your utility taxes.
• could be done outside of the city tax.
• These tax dollars make sense.

Summary: The Senate Local Government and State Parks Committee heard several bills focused on local government finance, land use, and public safety. SB 5903 would deem a cemetery district commissioner elected if only one qualified candidate files, with sponsor Senator Cortez saying it would save ballot-printing costs and local resources; there was no testimony in opposition. SB 6037 would create or modify a voter-approved option for cities and towns to form a single-city fire protection district, adjust levy and notice rules, allow administrative service contracts with the city, and clarify commissioner elections; Senator Cortez and multiple city and fire officials said it would give communities more flexible, locally controlled funding tools for fire service, while committee members asked about how it would work and the fiscal impact. SB 5983 would exempt certain current-use land transferred to a government entity for right-of-way from rollback taxes when the transfer is tied to development conditions and stays within a 20% acreage limit; Senator Leas described it as helping a family farm avoid an unfair tax bill, and there was no testimony on the bill. The committee also heard SB 5995, which would remove the 2031 sunset on the prohibition against using port funds to buy fully automated marine container cargo handling equipment. The sponsor and labor witnesses argued the bill protects jobs, keeps public dollars from underwriting automation, and still allows zero-emission, human-operated equipment; port and labor representatives testified in strong support, while the sign-in sheet showed substantial public interest both for and against. SB 6016 would change how urban growth area swaps treat critical aquifer recharge areas, making the rules for annual and periodic updates more consistent and allowing swaps if they do not increase net CARA acreage within the UGA; the sponsor, Commerce, housing, business, and development interests said it was a technical fix that supports housing and consistency, while one witness warned it could weaken groundwater protections and create litigation risk. Finally, the committee heard SB 6066, which would let counties, cities, towns, or WSDOT designate “accident risk zones” on roads with repeated crashes, require a public hearing and engineering review, double certain traffic penalties in the zone, and dedicate half the extra revenue to safety improvements before dissolving the zone. Supporters from cities, counties, and Pasco said it could help address dangerous intersections and fund fixes, though several witnesses raised liability and implementation concerns and asked for further stakeholder work. No votes were taken in the transcript; the chair closed each hearing after testimony and sign-in counts were noted.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but what is left in terms of capacity for tax reform, tax cuts, tax credits, what kind of tax you can
• Oh, sorry, Senate tax, yes, OK, right.
• That doesn't mean you slap on a big tax on EVs.
• The tax credit adopted two years ago for EVs can be coupled with a federal tax credit as well.
• But we'll get a tax credit that we can apply to our taxes this year or next. apply to our taxes this

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I'm sorry. an business enterprise tax return. an business enterprise tax return.
• </c><00:18:12.799><c> I</c> uh tax any changes to the tax codes.
• I uh tax any changes to the tax codes.
• </c> had the $98 million in business taxes had the $98 million in business taxes that<00:23:37.280><c
• combined business enterprise tax and business profits tax surplus equals $100 million or more.

Summary: The meeting began with unanimous committee approval of amendment 2026-2021S to HB 2. Senator Lang explained the amendment corrected a drafting error so that $2.5 million in state funds, matched with federal money for a total of $5 million, could be spent during the biennium rather than lapse at the end of the fiscal year. The money is intended to stabilize Medicaid per diem rates for county nursing homes, and members agreed without objection to adopt the amendment and continue working from the bill as amended by the Senate. The committee then discussed HB 155 and a proposed amendment, 2026-201H, dealing with the business enterprise tax. The House side described the proposal as a compromise that would raise the filing threshold from $250,000 to $375,000 and create a trigger that would reduce the BET rate by 0.05% for each $100 million in combined business tax surplus, down to a floor of 0.25%. Senate members opposed lowering the rate at this time, arguing that tax relief should focus on the filing threshold, which they said would remove filing burdens for about 3,500 small businesses, and that rate cuts should be considered in a budget cycle rather than an off-year. Concerns were raised that one-time revenues, such as tax amnesty receipts or federal repatriation-related surpluses, could unintentionally trigger reductions. Representative Sweeney later offered a revised approach by moving the effective date of the trigger mechanism to January 1, 2028, and said he was also willing to carve out tax amnesty revenues or adjust the effective date to avoid using one-time funds. The Senate remained unwilling to agree to a rate reduction, though it expressed openness to raising the filing threshold further. The committee ultimately did not resolve the business tax issue and recessed to continue discussions at a later time. The final item discussed was HB 1102, concerning an increase in the research and development tax credit paired with changes to state park fees. House members supported the R&D credit increase but opposed tying it to higher park fees, citing concerns about tourism, especially at border parks, and noting that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources had said it did not need the increase. Senate members defended the park fee changes as a fairness issue, arguing that New Hampshire residents should pay less than out-of-state visitors and that the department had not raised rates in many years. No vote was taken on this item during the discussion captured here.

Transcript Highlights:

• 20% tax hike.
• 20% tax hike.
• 20% tax hike.
• </c> capital gains taxes on inherited assets. capital gains taxes on inherited assets.
• . taxes. taxes.

Transcript Highlights:

• the middle of a property tax crisis.
• tax request for any year shall not exceed the property tax request authorized as determined under the
• The city or the county where the event happens, using property taxes? Using property taxes.
• Another top priority is to keep taxes, especially property taxes, as low as possible.
• and lowering property taxes.

Bills: LR509 , LR510 , LR511

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to talk a little bit about property taxes.
• you spend no property taxes, but you set the laws that govern how those property taxes are collected
• taken and tried to lower property taxes each year.
• Almost every taxing district in this state has had tax relief three, four years in a row now because
• I know that property taxes are confusing.

Transcript Highlights:

• revenue, but primarily taxes.
• Tax revenue and the non-tax revenues are expected to be $6.385 billion.
• </c> billion uh tax revenue and the non-t tax billion uh tax revenue and the non-t tax revenues<00:21
• tax, sales tax, corporate tax, and all other.
• tax</c> property tax income tax sales tax property tax income tax sales tax corporate<00:24:11.640><

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• The comptroller is projecting 5.5% growth in tax year 25 or fiscal year 26, and 4.94% growth in tax year
• Item 9 provides some information on Tier 2 tax rates or enrichment tax.
• So, you actually got even more property tax compression or property tax relief to your homeowners and
• It's not property tax, right? We've bought down property tax, and then insurance went up.
• Despite our relatively high local tax... effort with our maintenance and operations tax rate ranking

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• for the 4% tax credit.
• And so our... ...resources through the tax credit program.
• And so the federal tax credits, those 9% tax credits, generally provide more than double the equity for
• Us the 4% tax credit program.
• So the trailer bill did not mention 9% tax credits.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extensive presentation on the administration’s housing reorganization proposal, which would centralize multifamily affordable housing finance under the new Housing Development and Finance Committee (HDFC) and align it with the Governor’s trailer bill language. Administration officials said the plan is intended to create a one-stop application and award process, reduce duplicative timelines and costs, and pair state subsidy with private activity bonds and federal tax credits more efficiently. They also described proposed changes to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program, including shifting a larger share of funding toward housing-related awards while preserving a portion for sustainable communities investments. The Legislative Analyst’s Office generally supported the streamlining concept but recommended changes to the proposed bond set-aside timing and urged flexibility for integrated applications and future reporting on demand. Senators, especially Senator Cabaldon, raised concerns that the proposal could weaken the original climate-and-transportation purpose of the sustainable communities program and that the reorganization would be undercut by the lack of new housing production funding in the budget. The item was held open without a vote. The committee then received a report from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee on federal and state housing tax credits. Staff explained that the federal H.R. 1 change lowering the bond-financing threshold from 50% to 25% greatly expanded the number of projects able to use the 4% federal tax credit, allowing California to fund many more projects and units. They also described the state low-income housing tax credit as an important gap-filling tool for projects that still need additional subsidy, and noted existing set-asides for rural, homeless, at-risk, and extremely low-income projects. Members discussed rehabilitation as well as new construction, and the item was informational only. Finally, the Civil Rights Department reported on the effects of federal civil rights policy changes and on three programs facing expiration: California vs. Hate, the Community Conflict Resolution Unit, and Investigations and Conciliation Enhancement. Director Kevin Kish said federal cuts and policy shifts have reduced support for fair housing and other civil rights functions, while CRD’s caseload has grown from about 8,700 open matters a year ago to more than 12,000, with a six-month wait for interviews despite overtime triage efforts. Senators expressed strong support for continuing the programs and concern about the broader federal rollback of civil rights enforcement. The department said it is using overtime, intake triage, and outreach partnerships to manage the workload and direct Californians to appropriate state, local, and nonprofit resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• for the 4% tax credit.
• Nor does the administration address the state tax credits.
• And so the federal tax credits, those 9% tax credits, generally provide more than double the equity for
• with 4% tax credits plus the state enhanced LIHTC.
• So the trailer bill did not mention 9% tax credits.

Transcript Highlights:

• state sales and use tax.
• The bill changes tax administration that require taxing authorities that have not levied any millage
• This is not a new tax exemption.
• tax exempt, that we don't hand tax exemption certificates to contractors and have them go around town
• There's a tax on that. Then there's a tax when... There's a tax on that.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee considered a large agenda of bills and reported several measures favorably. Early action included SB 6, a settled claim bill involving the Department of Children and Families and a trust for Leila Estrada and Sapphire Williams, and CS/CS/SB 1266, which creates a cybersecurity experiential learning and clearance-readiness program through the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida. The committee also approved SB 532 on clerks of court funding, allowing clerks to retain all excess Article V revenue rather than returning half to the state and clarifying foreclosure sale procedures. In addition, the committee passed CS/CS/SB 1602 and CS/CS/SB 1604 to create and fund a pilot housing program for veterans through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and CS/SB 1110 to expand Medicaid and private insurance coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics, including testimony from affected families and advocates. The committee also adopted an amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/SB 1012 on inmate services, removing the bill’s medical-services compensation provisions while retaining changes to the inmate welfare trust fund and related facility uses. It also adopted a delete-all amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/CS/SB 1614, which was narrowed to remove a provision allowing local governments to use excess fees to construct new buildings. The committee spent substantial time on CS/SB 17, a Medicaid oversight and transparency bill. The sponsor said the measure would create a joint legislative Medicaid oversight committee, authorize the Legislature to retain its own actuary, modernize Medicaid statutes, strengthen managed-care performance standards, and increase accountability for pharmacy benefit managers and related entities. After amendment, the committee adopted changes removing several PBM-related provisions while retaining the broader oversight framework. Testimony from supporters emphasized transparency, fraud prevention, and cost control, while a PBM trade association asked to continue working on affiliate-manufacturer, network, and payment issues. The bill was reported favorably. The most extensive discussion centered on CS/SB 1758, which proposes major changes to Medicaid and SNAP. The sponsor described five reforms: stronger fraud and overpayment recovery authority, a Medicaid work requirement for certain able-bodied adults, expanded behavioral-health services through Medicaid waivers, pharmacy-program changes to obtain rebates and reduce institutional costs, and SNAP/EBT reforms including photo IDs and work requirements. The committee adopted two amendments: one adding a transitional “glide path” for people who gain employment but risk losing Medicaid, and another exempting hospice patients with six months or less to live. Supporters argued the bill would reduce fraud, improve accountability, and encourage work, while opponents warned it would increase administrative burdens, push eligible people off coverage, and conflict with federal law or guidance. The bill remained under debate with extensive public testimony from advocates, providers, and affected families, and the transcript ends before final disposition on the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• reductions can be enacted to provide further tax relief during this period.
• brackets and rates to a top tax rate of 3.7% effective January 1, 2026, and following tax years; to
• amend the income tax brackets and rates for domestic tax... ...1, 2026, and following tax years to amend
• the income tax brackets and rates for domestic and foreign corporations to a top tax rate of 4.1% effective
• January 1, 2027, and following tax years.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum call showing 96 members present. Members granted several leaves of absence and recognized guests, including Arkansas State Troopers and the nurse of the day. The clerk then read the governor’s proclamation calling the General Assembly into extraordinary session. The governor’s call said the special session was convened to consider tax relief measures, specifically lowering the top individual income tax rate to 3.7% effective January 1, 2026, and reducing the top corporate income tax rate to 4.1% effective January 1, 2027. The call also included payment of House and Senate expenses and per diem for the special session. The Speaker reminded members that only matters within the governor’s call could be considered. The House adopted motions to suspend House Rules 41A and 41B, which normally require bills to be on the desk for 24 hours before final passage and limit how soon bills can be placed on committee agendas, as well as Rule 60A on committee meeting notice requirements, for the duration of the special session. House Bill 1001, titled “Revenue and tax,” was read twice. The House then notified the Senate and governor that it was ready for business and adjourned until 9:30 the next morning, with the Revenue and Tax Committee scheduled to meet later that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of the tax increase... ...very thoughtful decisions about this.
• of the taxes that we levy in the state reflecting that.
• There was a lot of support for a wealth tax in your caucus.
• Giving up on the wealth tax and scaling back the tax package meant increasing the cuts.
• That has not gotten as much attention, I think, as the tax debate.

Summary: House and Senate Democratic leaders held a post-sine-die press availability reflecting on a difficult 2025 session and the budgets they passed. They said the state faced a large operating and transportation shortfall, along with uncertainty from a new federal administration and a new governor, but that they ultimately produced balanced budgets while trying to protect vulnerable residents and preserve jobs and economic growth. They also emphasized close House-Senate collaboration and said the governor had been engaged in budget talks, though he would still review the final bills and could use his veto authority. Leaders highlighted major policy outcomes in education and housing. They said the budget includes about $1.4 billion in additional special education funding and other school investments, and they described the passage of a rent stabilization measure as a landmark housing bill. They also pointed to broader housing-supply reforms such as parking minimum changes, lot-splitting, and middle-housing enforcement measures. On taxation, they defended business tax increases as modest and strategic, including a surcharge on large businesses and some sales-tax changes on services, while saying a wealth tax remains alive for future consideration but was not part of this year’s final budget. They also discussed the tradeoffs required to balance the budget. Among the painful cuts they cited were delays to child support pass-through payments and TANF-related benefits, reductions in higher education support, child care slots and subsidies, managed care payments, and some corrections facilities. They said the final budget also included $100 million for law enforcement at the governor’s request and funding for community safety and reinvestment, spread over four years. No votes were taken at the press conference; it was a wrap-up discussion after adjournment, with members repeatedly noting the session’s difficulty and the impact of recent personal losses in the legislature.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of the tax increase... ...very thoughtful decisions about this.
• of the taxes that we levy in the state reflecting that.
• There was a lot of support for a wealth tax in your caucus.
• Giving up on the wealth tax and scaling back the tax package meant increasing the cuts.
• That has not gotten as much attention, I think, as the tax debate.

Summary: House and Senate Democratic leaders held a post-sine-die press availability to describe a difficult 2025 session and the major budget and policy outcomes. They said the state faced a $16 billion operating shortfall and an $8 billion transportation gap, along with inflation, slowing revenue, federal uncertainty, and a new governor. Despite that, they said the chambers reached balanced operating and transportation budgets while trying to avoid harming vulnerable residents or overburdening working families. The leaders highlighted several priorities they said were advanced: increased school funding, including about $1.4 billion more for special education; housing measures such as rent stabilization, parking minimum reforms, lot-splitting, and middle-housing enforcement; and public safety funding, including a $100 million one-time law-enforcement appropriation requested by Governor Ferguson. They also discussed a community reinvestment approach and said local governments would have more flexibility to fund community safety. They acknowledged that balancing the budget required painful cuts and tradeoffs, including delays to child support pass-through payments and TANF benefits, reduced support for higher education and student aid, higher child-care copays and fewer child-care slots, closure of one prison and four reentry centers, and reductions in managed care payments. They also said the tax package included modest business tax increases, including a surcharge on some large businesses and sales tax changes for certain services, and that a wealth tax remained alive for future sessions even though it was not part of this year’s budget. Much of the discussion focused on the new governor’s role and whether there was tension over his review of the budget and bills. Leaders said communication with the governor and his staff had improved over the session, that they expected him to carefully review the legislation, and that they were not reading anything into his absence from the press conference. They repeatedly emphasized bipartisan and bicameral collaboration, and several speakers described the session as one of the most challenging they had experienced, citing the budget gap, federal uncertainty, and recent personal losses in the Legislature.

Transcript Highlights:

• On the tax conversation, last July the federal government made a number of changes to the tax code, some
• and local tax, or SALT, deduction cap.
• Roughly $220 million of this exposure stems from the state and local tax, or SALT, provision.
• burdensome for taxpayers, tax preparers, and regulatory agencies.
• I want to emphasize to my colleagues that the tax provisions in this bill are intentionally narrow.

Transcript Highlights:

• But a tax credit, remember I'm a Republican and I don't like taxes.
• ><c> a</c><00:03:52.159><c> Republican</c> tax credit, remember I'm a Republican tax credit, remember
• > and I I don't like taxes.
• So, uh, a tax and I I don't like taxes.
• Did the House Taxes Committee last year.

Transcript Highlights:

• But this is our one opportunity to talk about the tax package.
• the motor fuel tax here in the state of Florida.
• Our state gas sales tax is 25.3 cents per gallon.
• the motor fuel tax here in the state of Florida.
• Our state gas sales tax is $25.3 per gallon.

Summary: The Florida Senate convened in special session for budget conference work, opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and moments of silence honoring Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Mateer and former Senator Bill Posey. The Secretary read the joint proclamation calling the special session, which was limited to budget and related conforming legislation, including appropriations, implementing bills, collective bargaining/state employees, retirement, law enforcement radio system, health, higher education, K-12 education, government administration, correctional facilities, judges, documentary stamp tax distributions, petroleum cleanup, fuel taxes, and taxation. Senators also heard Chair Hooper outline the process for moving identical Senate bills and House companion bills into conference posture. The Senate then took up and passed several Senate bills and House companion bills, generally by 32-0 votes, after adopting delete-all/insert-nothing amendments to place the Senate language onto the House vehicles. Bills addressed fuel taxes and Inland Protection Trust Fund distributions, the state agency law enforcement radio system surcharge, judicial certification, K-12 education conforming changes, retirement, higher education, health care, collective bargaining/state employees, government administration, correctional facilities financing and capital improvements, documentary stamp tax distributions, petroleum cleanup programs, and taxation. In debate on the tax bill, Leader Berman urged consideration of suspending the motor fuel tax to provide relief at the pump, but the House-passed tax bill did not pass as received, and the Senate requested conference instead. The chamber also processed the main budget measures: Senate Bill 2500E and House Bill 5001E for the General Appropriations Act, and Senate Bill 2502E and House Bill 5003E for the implementing bill. After substituting the House bills and adopting conforming amendments, the Senate passed them and requested conference. For the remaining House bills, the Senate either passed them as amended and then acceded to or requested conference on the House request. The session concluded with a motion to waive rules for publishing the Special Order Calendar for the remainder of the special session, an announcement that the Special Order Calendar Group would not meet on May 12 or 13, and adjournment upon the call of the President for committee meetings and other Senate business.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in other words, there's no outside property tax funding coming into this.
• property tax from the development would be impacted, so that includes the school districts.
• because in other forms of tax increment from the past, like redevelopment, that wasn't the case.
• $1.1 million in state sales tax revenue alone.
• So when people hear this, they're going to hear, you know, these mandatory taxes.

Committee: House Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism

Transcript Highlights:

• For my department, it is a 53.7% reduction if we lose that EMS tax.
• It's a taxing issue or what would be the reason for, um, that would cause this?
• So it will eliminate Anchorage Middletown from collecting tax and providing that service.
• </c> a KRS 108 to to tax the same residents. a KRS 108 to to tax the same residents. &gt;&gt; Okay.
• So just one uh taxing charge anymore.

Committee: Senate Licensing & Occupations